'Twas the Week Before Christmas - Snow!

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the 'hood ... The snow started falling, but all was still good!

It started Wednesday morning - the wind… wild, wild wind- whipping snow all over our city, especially in eastern neighborhoods, like Greenhaven. By 10am, Wednesday the whole city knew that it was time to stock up and bunker down for a storm. (However, not everyone actually stocked up and bunkered down…) Businesses planned on being closed for the remaining of the day, and Thurday.

Midday proved to be white out conditions, such that I could not see my front porch … from my front window!
By sundown, if you were not already home, you were all but doomed. The snow had blown itself into massive drifts and collected itself in convenient spots - like intersections.

Thursday morning, we awoke to a more peaceful setting - the wind had all but ceased, but the snow was still falling. I looked out my window to see our neighbors homes (and cars) BURIED beneath feet and feet of snow drifts. Somehow the location of our house deterred the drifting snow- leaving us with no snow to shovel. Now, I LOVE to shovel snow, so I “geared up” and headed outside, armed only with a shovel (and my camera).

First, I helped a neighbor dig his way out of his house. There was quite the drift around the front of his home. From there, we headed down the street to help dig out another neighbors car. He had tried to make it home, got high centered and stuck- in the middle of the street, and made it the rest of the way home (2 blocks) on foot. We dug him out and he drove home.

What a way to start my day! I went back home, drank my 1st cup of coffee for the day, put on some stylish orange leg warmers and headed back out.

I went, first to check out the entrances to our neighborhood. There are only 2 ways to enter and leave our neighborhood - Roxford (the East entrance) was nearly impassable, due to a massive snow drift! We went on a brief tour of the neighborhood, talking with neighbors in all states of wonderment and frustration at their current immobile predicament. We helped those who needed help, an took pictures of homes that needed more help than we could give.

We wandered through snowdrifts that were taller than me, tackled friends in the snow, watched kids sled out their front door, were quite entertained by a few drivers trying to overcome 5’ snow drifts with no luck… We dug out a total of 4 homes before lunchtime – including several sidewalks… But not before getting some pictures of buried cars!

You know, there is a wonderful thing about Colorado… the snow falls, but does not stay for long! Friday brought us crystal blue skies (and super crowded stores!!).

I was reminded, once again, at what a wonderful neighborhood we live in. People who had already dug out of their homes offered help to those who were still battling the drifts. Almost every street had bundled up neighbors gathered here and there chatting and watching the kids play in the snow.

Later that night, we had some friendly neighbors (including our new friends from Florida ... I bet they miss the warmth, now!) over for some homemade beef stew and played some games.

(Written and photos by your Greenhaven Neighbor~ Mariana Wagner)